The Wasteland's Shade of Grey
by Grey-Hearted Hero
Summary: When Carmen left Vault 101 to find her father, the last thing she expected to do was join up with an eccentric Wastelander looking for a partner. Rated T for language and suggestive themes.
1. Enter One Vault Dweller

**Needless to say, there will be spoilers in this. Then again, EVERYONE has played Fallout 3, so it doesn't matter.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything except the delightful Wastelander Grey.**

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><p>It had been less than an hour since Carmen had left Vault 101 to search for her father, and things had not been the best that they could have been.<p>

Stepping out into the sunlight for the first time, she had almost stumbled blindly off of a cliff. Soon after, she was walking through the ruins of a town called Springvale when she saw a flying robot shaped like an eyeball. She tried to touch it as it floated by, but as soon as she did, it turned on her and started shooting lasers. She ran away and took refuge in a nearby building with rooms similar to the one where she had taken the G.O.A.T. Once inside, she was ambushed by leather-clad savages sporting mohawks and other ridiculous hairstyles. She managed to take out a couple with her pistol, but numbers soon got the better of her, forcing her to retreat.

One chase later, Carmen huddled behind a cluter of boulders listening for the sounds of her pursuers. Eventually, she summoned up her courage and peeked around the rock. There were no signs of anyone nearby, and she allowed herself to relax.

"Hey there."

Carmen bolted upright and pointed her gun at the man crouched on top of the boulder she had been leaning against. The stranger held up his hands in surrender.

"Whoa now! No need for that. I come in peace or whatever. Name's Grey."

The man calling himself Grey jumped to the ground and Carmen got a better look at him. He appeared to be her age with black hair wearing a dark brown jacket, tan pants, and black leather boots. He also had a pair of sunglasses and a some kind of pre-war hat, a "fedora." On his hip, he had a handgun Carmen recognized from an old magazine as a magnum with a scope.

"What do you want?" Carmen asked, never lowering her weapon.

"I was on my way to go scavenging in the old school when I saw the raiders chase you out. Judging by that jumpsuit you're wearing, you must have just come out of a Vault and didn't know what you were walking into. So congratulations on learning your first lesson of the Capital Wasteland: It's not safe to wander it alone."

Carmen started to lower the pistol, but didn't holster it just yet. "Then how come YOU'RE out here by yourself?"

Grey shrugged. "Just haven't found anyone crazy enough to join me."

Carmen decided she could trust this man, for now, and put away her pistol. "I think you just did. I'm looking for my dad, and having someone who knows his way around could come in handy."

Her new companion beamed. "Fantastic! But first, we're gonna need to get you some new clothes. That Vault suit won't protect you from much, and you stick out a mile away. There's a town called Megaton nearby. We can get you some stuff there, and somebody might have even seen your old man."

Grey led the way up a path dotted with signs. At the top of an incline, Carmen saw an enormous heap of metal several yards away.

"What's that?"

"That's Megaton. Or at least the wall around it. Now, if we're lucky, he should still be...Ah, there he is!"

Before Carmen could ask who he meant, Grey sped up and she hurried to follow suit. He seemed to be heading toward two people standing next to some kind of animal.

"Crow!" Grey called out.

One of the people turned around and smiled as they approached. "Back already, Grey?" he said. "I imagine you're here to repair your equipment after fighting so many-Who is this?"

"This is Carmen. She just came out of that vault by Springvale, and she needs some gear."

The merchant turned to Carmen and offered his hand, which she hesitantly shook. "Fear not, madame. I specialize in all forms of apparel for the wasteland traveler, and I believe I have the perfect selection for you."

He reached into one of the bags strapped to the animal behind him and pulled out a set of leather armor. "As fashionable as it is functional, I assure you."

Grey thanked the man and gave him a handful of bottle caps that Carmen assumed were a form of currency. She took the armor from Crow and followed Grey towards Megaton's security wall. With a horrendous screech of metal on metal, part of the wall raised to reveal a large pair of doors. Once through, Carmen got her first look of the town: a cluster of ramshackle buildings connected by rusty metal walkways and staircases.

Grey stepped forward and raised his arms like an inventor unveiling his newest creation. "What do you think? Not pretty, but it serves its purpose."

"I didn't expect to see anything like this when I saw the ruins. I guess it just goes to show how humans-Is that a bomb!"

Her gaze had of course landed on the undetonated atomic bomb in the center of town.

"Huh? Oh yeah, that thing. Don't worry about it, it's been disarmed. That's how I got my house."

"You disarmed that thing?"

"Yeah. I'm pretty good with my hands." He leaned in closer. "Something you may want to keep in mind."

Carmen rolled her eyes and shoved him with her foot. This caused him to lose his footing and roll down the hill in front of the town's entrance.

"I was just kidding!" he shouted as he struggled to his feet.

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><p>"Welcome home, sir," greeted the Mister Handy robot inside Grey's house. "I see you have company. Unfortunately, I am still in the process of cleaning the bedsheets from last night when you were with-"<p>

Grey shut him up by pressing a button on the robot's back. The machine slumped to the ground as it powered down.

"He was joking," Grey explained. "Wadsworth here has a terrible sense of humor."

"Riiiiight." Carmen edged away and found a room upstairs where she could change.

Wadsworth woke from his temporary shutdown after a few seconds and Grey turned to him.

"Why do you always say that when I bring someone over? Even when they're guys?"

"I was just trying to lighten the mood, sir."

"Well knock it off. We just met, and she's already having a hard time trusting me. I don't need her mistrust fueled by thinking I'm some kind of sexual deviant."

The sound of a door opening caused the adventurer and his robobutler to turn and watch as Carmen walked down the stairs to get their opinion on her new appearance. Grey made a special note of the way the tight leather shaped to her body. How it accentuated the curves of her chest and hips. She had also used one of his knives to cut her hair . Where the ginger locks had previously hung down to her shoulders, it now reached just above the base of her neck. In a way, Grey actually thought this look suited her better.

Naturally, Wadsworth took it upon himself to ruin the moment in his charming English accent.

"Sir, my sensors detect that blood flow to your face has increased significantly. The same thing also seems to be happening to your-"

Grey mashed the robot's shutdown switch so violently that Carmen almost expected it to break. The man coughed nervously and adjusted his shades.

"Well...I suppose you'll want to get on with the search for your dad. Soooo I guess you should just ask around town and see what people say."

Carmen was glad for the change of subject. "Sounds good. What are you going to do?"

"I am going to take a nap while I wait for you to return. Maybe I'll have a dream that shows me where Wadsworth's humor circuits are so I can rip them out."

Carmen left the house to conduct her own version of meeting the neighbors: Sheriff Lucas Simms, the Stahls that ran the Brass Lantern restaurant, Billy Creel, old Walter in the water purification plant, and several others. But no matter who she asked, they all seemed to have the same answer. Talk to Colin Moriarty, the local bar owner.

That evening, after hearing the suggestion for the umpteenth time, Carmen climbed to the highest part of Megaton and walked into Moriarty's Saloon. Her eyes drifted around the establishment until something behind the bar caused her to freeze. It looked human, but it had green skin that looked to be rotting right off. The creature narrowed its eyes when it noticed her staring.

"What's the matter with you? Never seen a Ghoul before?" the barkeep asked in a harsh, raspy voice. Carmen could only shake her head. "Basically, we're just people that were exposed to huge amounts of radiation after the bombs fell. So now I suppose you're going to run away screaming into the night or something."

Carmen took a deep breath to overcome her original shock and approached the bar. "Sorry about that. I was just surprised is all, it's nice to meet you."

Now was the Ghoul's turn to be surprised. "Wow. Most people are real bastards to my kind just because we're different. It's nice to have a change of pace. By the way, the name's-"

"Gob!" A man with an Irish accent stormed out of the back room. "What did I tell you about talking to customers?"

"Sorry, boss." Gob lowered his gaze and started wiping down the counter.

The man noticed Carmen and approached her. "I don't believe I've ever seen you before. Name's Colin Moriarty, owner of this fine establishment. What brings you here?"

"I'm looking for my dad, and I was told he'd been here recently."

"Oh my god. You're her. James's little girl. Oh, I can still remember the time you and he stayed here before disappearing into that Vault." Moriarty got a far-off look in his eye as he was absorbed in the memory. He shook his head to bring himself back to the present. "Yeah he was here, and I even know where he went. However, in this world, information costs caps. A hundred caps to be exact."

Carmen's eyes widened. She had figured that bottle caps were used as money, but she hadn't found a way to get any for herself yet. Right before she gave up and left the building, a voice spoke up from behind her.

"Moriarty, you old dog, are you hassling the young lady?"

Carmen turned around to see Grey standing in the doorway.

Moriarty stepped away from the bar and in front of Grey. "Not at all, Mr. Hart. I was simply conducting a simple business transaction."

"Come on, Colin. She's fresh out of the Vault, looking for her father, and you want to make her pay with money she hasn't even had time to raise?"

"I never said I was proud of what I did."

"How about we make a deal then?" Grey walked over to Carmen and laid a hand on her shoulder. "You give my friend the information for free. In return, you won't lose one of your best customers."

Moriarty scowled, but agreed to the deal. Afterwards, Carmen and Grey left the saloon and made their way back to the house.

"Thanks for the help back there," Carmen said as they walked.

"We're partners now, right? We need to look out for each other."

"That's awfully sweet of you."

"Yeah. Just don't tell anyone, I've got a reputation to uphold. Besides, that stunt probably just earned me more piss in the liquor than usual. Good thing I stocked up at home."

The two of them laughed, and as night fell on the Wasteland, Carmen was thankful that she wouldn't have to undertake this journey on her own.

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><p><strong>Well, that's the first chapter of my first fanfic. Was it good? Did it freakin' suck? Review and tell me what you think.<strong>


	2. The Ways of the Wastes

**Today's chapter starts Carmen's life as a true Wastelander.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters, settings, or other properties except Grey and Carmen. But you knew that already.**

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><p>Grey woke up the next morning to Wadsworth hovering over him. He quickly rolled to the side before the robobutler's thrusters could burn off his hair.<p>

"Good morning, sir! I hope you slept well."

"As well as I could, I suppose," Grey moaned as he picked himself off of the ground and stretched his aching back.

When Carmen had found out the house only had one bed, she was understandably reluctant to share it with the man she had just met. So, like the gentleman he was, Grey kindly surrendered the bed to her. At least, that's what he tells people. In truth, Carmen had locked him out of the bedroom, forcing him to sleep on the couch downstairs. Unfortunately, the piece of furniture had been salvaged from the ruins of a Springvale house and couldn't be less suited for sleeping if it were covered in nails. In the end, he had opted to spend the night on the floor instead.

Grey hobbled over to the refrigerator, cursing to himself, and rummaged inside for something to eat. A few minutes later, Carmen came down wearing the Vault jumpsuit she apparantly now used as sleepwear.

"Morning, _partner._" She said the second word almost endearingly, as if it would make up for the fact she had stolen his room. Grey just sneered as she took a bottle of water out of the fridge and raised it to her lips. Something made her stop before she actually took a drink though. "Do you sleep in those sunglasses?"

"Of course not." He tapped the ever-present lenses. "I have a special pair for that. Though I barely had time to grab them while you were hurling me from my room. Do you do that with all the guys you know?"

"Nope, you were my first."

"Good to know."

"Shut up."

After Grey finished his breakfast, he stood up and paced the room like a drill instructor as he began his lecture. "Today's your first real day as a Wastelander, and Wastelanders have to be able to pull their own weight. That means that you will responsible for keeping your gear in working condition as well as having a sufficient amount of ammunition and supplies. Most of what you'll need will be collected in the field or looted from your enemies." His pacing brought him in front of a door under the staircase. He turned to Carmen and smiled as he gripped the handle. "But that doesn't mean I can't help you get started."

With a flourish, Grey pulled the door open and ushered Carmen inside. What she saw inside both impressed her and made her a little more wary of her partner. Shelves, tables, even the walls were covered with every weapon imaginable as well as their respective ammunition.

"Is it not glorious?" Grey said in a way that reminded Carmen of the time the Overseer had conducted a tour of a holographic art museum in Vault 101. "Take your pick, Carmen. I've got assault rifles, shotguns, a missle launcher or two, even a laser pistol. Good luck finding ammo for them though. I also have a couple of swords and other melee weapons if you're into that kinda thing."

After browsing the selection, Carmen eventually armed herself with an assault rifle and some brass knuckles in addition to her pistol. Grey's weapons of choice were the scoped magnum and a custom built shotgun he called "Minerva." He told the story of one day when he was performing maintenance on a scavenging trip and ended up with some spare parts. Earlier that day, he had picked up some schematics from some ruins and he used them to make a shotgun with the loading mechanism of a revolver. He claimed this allowed faster reloading and intimidation value.

Half an hour later, Carmen sat on the couch lacing up her boots while Grey stitched a tear in his hat.

"What's the plan for today?" she asked him after the repair was done.

"Well, if what Moriarty says is true, your dad went to the radio station in the D.C ruins. I've never been to that side of the river, but I've heard that place is a warzone filled with Super Mutants, hulking monstrosities with just enough brains to know how to use guns. That and the fact that you're so new to wasteland life makes me think we should put that off for a couple of days."

Carmen was disappointed by this, but she did admit that he had a point. "Okay. So what do we do until then?"

"You are going to get a job."

"What?"

"The best part about being a Wastelander is that everyone else always has something that needs to be done with our help. You can make some money and learn the ways of the wastes while you're at it."

"Ways of the wastes? Come up with that yourself?"

"It was one of Wadsworth's attempts at humor. I'm not proud to say that I found it clever. Anyway, you need work and I know just who to ask."

The two made their way across town to Craterside Supply, the closest thing Megaton had to a general store. Carmen went to grab the doorknob when Grey grabbed her by the arm and shook his head. He pulled a knife out of the sheath inside his sleeve and slowly pushed the door open. The room contained several tables covered in assorted junk and devices in different states of disrepair. There didn't seem to be anyone inside, but as they crept further in, a man also wielding a knife jumped out of an adjoining room to the left. Grey leaned back just in time to avoid a swipe at his throat.

Carmen tried to draw one of her weapons, but Grey told her to stand down and aimed a thrust at his opponent's midsection. The man danced out of reach then unleashed a flurry of slashes Grey dodged by swaying to the side. After three or four slashes, Grey deflected one of the blows with his blade and closed the distance, placing his knife against the other man's neck.

"I just killed you," Grey whispered.

"That may be true, but I took your reason for living."

Grey looked down at the knife point positioned right below his belt, then back up at the man in front of him.

Then they both started laughing.

Carmen was trying to wrap her mind around this when she heard clapping and looked up to see a woman with dark-red hair on the walkway above.

"Eight seconds, Grey. A new record! Your visits are always so exciting, but do you think you could actually buy something for once?"

Grey took a minute to catch his breath and dry his eyes before he realized that Carmen was still by the door looking increbibly confused. He waved her over, and Carmen slowly approached.

"Carmen, this is Moira Brown." He indicated the red head above them. "She owns this place. And this guy is...I don't even know his name, but he watches the shop to make sure nobody steals anything. Whenever I come over, we have these sparring matches like you just saw. He's not exactly friendly towards most people, but I think he liked something about me when we first met."

"Really?" The mercenary spoke up. "The way I remember it, I threw you out of here on a daily basis."

"Details." Grey waved off his remark. "Anyway, I'm here on business. Carmen here is fresh out of the Vault and needs some work."

Moira's eyes lit up at this. "Is that right? Well, I think I have the perfect job for her. Wait there." She stepped through a doorway and descended the stairs in the room her guard had ambushed them from.

While Moira was making her way around the shop, Carmen noticed out of the corner of her eye that Grey had a mischievious smile which could only mean one thing. He'd set her up for something. Well, if she was falling into a trap, she was going to pull him into it with her.

"Before you give me the job, Moira, Grey is my partner, and I'd like for him to be included." She was pleased to see that cheeky grin disappear as she spoke.

"Why of course, dear! The more the merrier." Carmen smirked at her companion while his extreme displeasure glowed from behind his sunglasses. "Recently, I've come up with an idea for a book that will help teach people how to survive out in the wasteland. The problem is I have no way to do the research myself and no one to help. Until you came along, of course. All you need to do is carry out the experiments and bring me the results."

"Sounds good. We'll start right away."

"That's great! The first thing I want to work on is the effects of radiation on people. So if you don't mind, could the two of you go out and get a little case of radiation poisoning? Since we live in the middle of a nuclear wasteland it shouldn't be too hard. Oh, but don't worry. I'll fix you up once you get back."

"No problem. Let's go Grey." Carmen grabbed him by the arm and pulled him out of the shop. Once outside, he turned on her.

"Why did you do that?"

She put her hands behind her back and looked up at him like a lost child. "Because you're the big bad Wastelander teaching a helpless girl how to survive out here." She laughed when she saw she had caught him off guard. "What do you have against Moira anyway?"

"It's not that. I like her well enough, in fact she's one of the few friends I have. She's just a bit...quirky. I mean, did you hear what she wanted us to do? Radiation poisoning? And she asked it so casually you'd think she had asked to borrow a pencil or something."

"Like she said, she's gonna heal us when we get back, so it's not a big deal. Question is how we go about it."

Grey's head turned to the side, but before Carmen could see what he was looking at, Grey tells her to wait there and runs off. A few minutes later, he returns with a pitcher and a couple of glasses. He hands her one of the glasses and pours water from the pitcher into both of them.

"What's this?" Carmen asks.

"This is how we're going to get those rads for Moira." He moved over to a table outside Moira's shop and set the pitcher on top. "All the water out here that doesn't go through a purifier is radioactive to some degree, some places more than others. All I did was scoop some up from that pool around the nuke."

Carmen spat out the sip she had just taken. "Is that even safe?" It may have been her imagination, but she could feel her tongue tingling.

"I guess we'll find out." He clinked his glass against hers and sat down in a chair next to the table. The two spent the next hour sitting quietly, sipping their drinks and watching the townspeople go about their daily routines. Customers going in and out of the Brass Lantern and Moriarty's Saloon, Lucas Simms patrolling the area, Confessor Cromwell standing in front of the bomb preaching about some entity known as "Atom." Only when she went for her second refill did Carmen say anything.

"You've been unusually quiet over there, Grey. Is this not the glamorous lifestyle of a Wastelander you were hoping to teach me?...Grey?"

She turned to where the Wastelander had been sitting across the table from her only to find an empty chair.

"You son of a bitch!"

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><p><strong>I think it's safe to say Grey has a pretty high Sneak skill. The first part also seems to imply he's a bit of a Gun Nut. Get used to these perk jokes, I have a lot of them.<strong>


	3. Wastelander Discount

The sun managed to find a gap in the perpetual cloud cover of the Capital Wasteland and shone its light on two travelers, a man and a woman, navigating a rocky hillside. The female walked a ways ahead of her companion as if not wishing to acknowledge his presence as he stomps behind her, hands in pockets.

Finally, the man spoke up. "I said I was sorry, you don't have to give me the silent treatment."

But Carmen did exactly that and kept walking.

"Look, it's not like I wanted to ditch you while you carelessly irradiated yourself with nuke water...Actually, I guess I must have since that's exactly what I did. But you have to admit it wasn't really a two person job! Besides, Moira got to do her tests and that made her happy. That's what's most important here, right?"

Silence.

"Tch. At least the view is good from back here," he muttered to himself.

Carmen apparently overheard this last remark because she dropped a frag grenade in his path. Grey leapt to cover behind a rock and covered his head in case of debris. When nothing happened, he poked his head out to see Carmen tossing the grenade up and catching it with one hand. Grey kicked himself mentally for not noticing she'd never taken out the pin, but Carmen laughed saying that they were even now.

The reason for their current excursion into the wastes was the second part of Moira's job. They were to scavenge a nearby supermarket for food and medicine and retell the experience to Moira so she could write up a chapter on how people can find supplies in the wastes. As the pair of explorers reached the top of a hill, they saw the backside of their destination: Super Duper Mart. Grey explained that places like this were prime targets for many Wastelanders and that they would have to approach with caution.

At the bottom of the hill, Grey and Carmen stuck close to the walls of the building and stealthily made their way along the side. Grey peeked around a corner to the front of the store and Carmen heard him curse under his breath.

"It's worse than I thought," he whispered.

Carmen looked for herself, expecting to see a crowd of people or something like that. What she actually saw was far from her expectations.

Disfigured bodies were hung from chains, nailed to the wall, and tied spread-eagled on mattresses dyed by blood and dirt. Carmen's hands flew to her mouth and she turned away, resisting the urge to vomit as she wondered who could do such a thing.

"Raiders," Grey said as if reading her mind. "They do this as a warning that this is their turf and you should stay the hell away. Or maybe they just do it for kicks. Probably both." He clapped his hands together. "In that case, I'm sure they won't mind if we sneak in and borrow a cup of sugar and some bandages."

Carmen seemed as disgusted by her partner as she was by the corpses. "How can you be so casual about all this?"

Grey shrugged. "You get used to seeing things like this in the wasteland. You'll also see things far worse. Who knows? Maybe my jokes are the only thing letting me keep a hold on my sanity." He grinned back at his companion. "Or maybe I've already gone crazy and this whole thing is just a delusional fantasy."

In spite of herself, Carmen allowed a small smile. "If jokes are all that keep you going, I think you'll live forever. Now let's get going, the sooner we finish this the better."

Grey pried open the doors to the supermarket and Carmen followed him in, keeping her eyes focused on the ground until the bodies were out of sight. The sunlight dimly lit the interior and the two surveyed the area from behind a checkout counter. Most of the floor space was taken up by large shelves, some of which had fallen over or were leaning against others. From their hiding place, they spotted two Raiders: one standing watch from wooden platforms bridging the tops of the shelves, and one patrolling the floor below. Grey nodded toward a corner on their right with a small area that may have once been a snack bar.

Grey vaulted nimbly over the counter of the snack bar, but when Carmen imitated the move, she landed on top of a tin can. The crunch of the metal was deafening in the silence and they froze. In a crouch, Grey walked over to where the counter became a wall and looked through a crack in the door. Sure enough, the ground level sentry had heard the noise and was coming to investigate.

Grey motioned for Carmen to get behind him and pulled his knife from his sleeve. With a flick of his wrist, he positioned the blade between his index finger and thumb and waited. Seconds later, the sentry, armed with a baseball bat, opened the door and stepped inside. The Raider slumped against the door as the knife buried itself into the side of his head, and Grey jumped forward to catch the bat before it crashed against the floor.

"One down, I suppose," he said as he pulled the corpse to the side and closed the door before anyone noticed.

"In more ways than one," Carmen called softly from the back of the room. She had found a working refrigerator filled with food. "I don't see any medicine though."

"Well I bet I know where it is. Under heavy guard at the other end of the building. Just your average day at Super Duper Mart."

Grey peeked outside and saw the other patrol coming down from the shelves to get a drink out of the row of freezers against the wall. Grey pulled his head back in and produced a cylindrical object from inside his jacket.

"What's this?" Carmen asked as he handed it to her.

"A silencer for your pistol. I can't get close enough to use my knife, so I need you to get rid of the other guard."

Carmen crept out of the room and took cover behind a trash can about thirty feet to the Raider's right. She screwed the silencer to the end of her gun barrel and took aim. A sudden release of adrenaline caused her hand to shake, lowering her aim slightly as she pulled the trigger. The bullet sliced through the man's neck, puncturing his windpipe. While not an instant kill, the wound prevented the guard from raising the alarm, and he eventually crumpled to the ground dead of blood loss.

Carmen let out a sigh. She had heard that taking a life was supposed to be an incredibly hard thing for a person to do, but she felt somehow glad to have done it. Thinking of the bodies outside and how many others the Raiders may have killed gave her a sense that they deserved to die. She flinched as she felt someone touch her back while she was lost in her thoughts. Her head snapped around to see that it was only Grey.

"Nice work, but we have to hurry now. Someone's bound to notice when their buddy doesn't reappear."

They found the pharmacy tucked into the back-left corner of the store with two Raiders behind the counter. Carmen snuck around through a small hallway to the employee entrance. She knocked on the door, drawing the Raiders' attention as Grey rolled into position. On of them walked over, and when she opened the door, Carmen delivered a bone-crunching blow right between the eyes with her brass knuckles. The other Raider drew an assault rifle, but didn't get any further before Grey sprang up, reached over the counter, and snapped his neck.

With the path clear, the Wastelanders moved to the door to the storeroom only to find it locked. Grey lowered himself onto one knee and took a bobby pin and screwdriver out of his pocket.

"Watch my back. This could take a minute."

While he worked, Carmen's eyes fell on a table next to the door with a computer on top. She bent over the keyboard and typed on it for a few seconds.

"Hey, Grey."

"Shh. I'm trying to concentrate, this isn't as easy as you think."

"Grey."

"Carmen, you need to understand that lockpicking is an art. It can't be ru-"

"Grey!"

"What?"

"Door's unlocked."

Grey reaches up and turns the doorknob in front of him. Sure enough, the door swings open. He turns questioning eyes to Carmen and she nods toward the terminal beside her.

"I got bored sometimes growing up in the Vault. So I learned how to hack computers."

"Devious. I approve."

The two entered the storage room full shelves of alcohol, small food items, ammo, and various other items. Grey made straight for a first aid box on the wall across from them and found it full of medical supplies. Carmen, meanwhile, was drawn to a large metal chamber to the right. She wiped some dust away from a window on the side and saw...

"A robot?"

Grey stepped closer and looked over her shoulder. "Protectron. It's a security robot. Guess the store owners never got around to turning it on, and the Raiders couldn't figure out how to-"

He was cut off by a voice on the store's PA system. "Hey, we're back. Someone open up the...Hold on. Something ain't right here."

Grey drew his magnum and looked out into the main room. "Shit. Looks like a hunting party just got back. We might have to fight our way out." He suddenly perked up and ran back to the Protectron capsule. He pressed the power button on a connected terminal and waved Carmen over as it lit up.

"Do you think you could use your technical prowess to power up our friend here?"

"I could try."

Grey went to guard the door while Carmen furiously tapped away on the keys. She jammed the Enter key, and a green glow poured out through the glass. One side of the capsule retracted and the robot stepped out. Its torso pivoted as if observing the new surroundings. Then it started walking. Grey stepped out of the way as the Protectron passed him saying, "Security breach detected. Lethal force authorized." A little while later, they heard shouting and gunshots.

"Let's go," Grey said. "We'll be lucky it that thing lasts ten seconds."

Exiting the storeroom, the duo bounded over the counter and behind the nearest shelf. In the center of the store, they saw at least half a dozen Raiders ganging up on the Protectron. Despite Grey's previous misgivings, the robot was handling fairly well and had already brought down several of its attackers with laser blasts.

Grey went to make a dash for the front door when he was knocked to the ground after colliding with a cowardly Raider trying to save himself. The Raider was the first one to recover from the surprise and leveled his weapon at Grey's head. Three 5.56 rounds in the Raider's chest stopped him in his tracks. Grey nodded his thanks as Carmen placed her rifle back over her shoulder, and the two completed their run back out into the wasteland on their way to Megaton.

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><p><strong>Ending seems a bit rushed to me, but I couldn't think of anything else to do.<strong>


	4. Mines and Mindsets

**Warning! This chapter contains epic amounts of awesome sprinkled with character development and the story behind Grey's name, also garlic. Now, cook at 450 degrees for however long it takes you to read and enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: Fallout is not mine. May contain nuts.**

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><p>Today's adventure finds our heroes in an area the locals call Minefield, a ghost town whose streets are littered with what else but land mines. TheThe final part of Moira Brown's current assignment tasked Carmen and Grey to venture into Minefield and retrieve one of the explosives. Unfortunately, no one that had come here before had survived to tell of the town's other hazard: an elderly man with a sniper rifle taking shots at anyone entering his territory.<p>

Carmen ducked out of sight behind the remains of a bombed-out house after the shooting started, and Grey followed suit.

"Who the hell's shooting at us!" Grey shouted, as if the answer would appear from nowhere just because he asked.

"I don't know," Carmen panted. "But whoever it is, they must have a good reason for protecting this place."

"I hate to ruin your sunny outlook on human nature, Vaultie, but very few people out here do things for GOOD reasons." Taking a chance, he crawled to the edge of their cover and used the scope on his revolver to seek out the mystery shooter. "You're not gonna believe this. It's some old guy with a sniper. Probably trying to get us off his lawn or something."

"Let's just get out of here, Grey. We already have the mine for Moira. We can stay behind the buildings and sneak away."

"Yeah, I guess so. He'll probably die of old age in the next few minutes any-"

Just then, another shot rang out and struck the ground right behind where Grey was laying. He ran his hand over the top of his head checking to see if the bullet had grazed him. He felt something completely different however.

More accurately, it was what he didn't feel that distressed him.

He turned to the ground beside him and stared in shock at what was there: his hat, practically ripped in half by the force of the bullet that had gone through it. Grey's vision turned red as his grief and anger boiled over and he leapt to his feet.

"Son of a BITCH!"

Barely taking the time to aim, Grey raised his magnum and fired. If viewed in slow-motion, one would see the round spin almost majestically through the air before carving a path into the sniper's right eye, up the optic nerve, and into his brain. But the bullet didn't stop there. The momentum it had built up on its long journey propelled it through and out the back of the skull. Behind the sniper's already-dead body was a set of shelves holding ammunition for his rifle as well as several spare land mines. Grey's bullet made contact with one of these mines, arming the explosive and setting off a spectacular blast that sent the Wastelander into a fit of hysterical, some might even say maniacal, laughter.

Then his good mood faded as he remembered what he had just lost. He picked up the remains of his hat and looked down on it with an expression of deep sadness.

Carmen, on the other hand, was puzzled by his apparent attachment to the accessory. "What's the big deal? It's just a hat."

Grey smiled bitterly at the shredded cloth in his hand. "Yeah. Yeah it is, but it's also the only thing I have from my parents."

Carmen instantly regretted what she had just said. This was the first time Grey had brought up his family, so something terrible must have happened to them. "I'm sorry. Are they dead?"

"Hell if I know, I left to live on my own years ago. But my dad gave me this hat for my thirteenth birthday. I suppose it was only a matter of time before it finally wore out to the point of no return. Still, it doesn't soften the blow."

"Grey."

"I mean, do you know how much my coolness is going to go down without this hat? Sunglasses are one thing, but sunglasses AND a stylish hat? There's just no way to beat that. Maybe if I grew a beard."

Carmen sighed in frustration. "Only you would turn something that's supposed to have sentimental value and use it for your own image."

She stomped off, and Grey couldn't figure out why. "What? You don't like the beard idea? I don't mean some scruffy survivalist type thing, just some classy stubble."

Sunset was nearly upon them, so the two decided to spend the night in one of the abandoned houses. After checking all of the rooms for Radroaches and other undesirable housemates, Carmen and Grey went upstairs to the bedrooms.

"Dibs," Grey said as they entered the master bedroom, hurling himself onto the bed. He felt something under the blankets next to him, so he pulled back the covers. The skeleton of the bed's former owner stared back at him as if angry at being disturbed. Grey let out a shriek and rolled out of the bed, hitting the floor hard and doing irreparable damage to his pride.

Needless to say, Carmen found the spectacle hilarious. "I thought you of all people would be happy that your new bed came with company," she managed to say between fits of laughter.

"Laugh about it all you want, but check out what I just found." Grey picked himself off of the floor and pushed the bed against the far wall. Set into the floor underneath was the metal door of a safe. Grey pulled out his lockpicking set and had it open in seconds.

"What's inside?" Carmen asked, moving closer to get a look.

"Stuff from the house's owners. Old money, illegible documents, and...Ooh. What do we have here?"

That last part had gotten Carmen excited about what could be in the safe. A treasure map? Keys to another safe? Something they could sell? Whatever it was, Grey was having a hard time getting a hold of it. He was lying on his side with one arm reaching as far down as he could. He finally got a grip on the object inside, and Carmen almost started jumping up and down in anticipation. Grey pulled his hand out slowly, as if afraid to damage the item. That proves it, it must be some valuable treasure. Grey's hand finally cleared the top of the safe and revealed the treasure to be...

A hat. A light brown fedora, to be precise.

"Ha ha! I knew I'd find one eventually. And it looks like it's never been worn." Grey happily put on the new headwear while Carmen gaped in utter disbelief. Finally, she just shook her head and came to the conclusion that she would never understand the workings of her partner's mind.

Down the hall, the pair found a guest room with two beds that were blissfully free of human remains. When Carmen brought up the subject of who would take the first watch, Grey reasoned that since they were in the middle of a place called Minefield, few people would attempt to navigate it in the dark. Therefore, there was no need for them to keep watch.

Even so, Carmen had a hard time getting to sleep. Maybe it was the fact that the house's former owner was lying dead in the other room, or the fear that Grey could be wrong and someone really could make it through the mines. They had done it after all. After about twenty minutes, she decided to try something to take her mind off of it.

"Hey, Grey," she called softly.

"What?" he groaned from the other side of the room.

"I can't sleep."

"You don't say."

"Earlier today, you mentioned your parents and-"

"Oh, here we go."

"What is it?"

She heard Grey moving around before he answered. "Everybody always wants to hear about my parents. Just because I'm on my own, they all assume there's some story to tell. Well there's not. Me and my folks traveled with a caravan, finding things people want and selling them. A few years ago, I decided I wanted to do something more exciting. So I left and became the badass adventurer I am now. Anything else?"

There was something Carmen had been wanting to ask him. "Your name. I know your mother wouldn't name you Grey, so it's either a nickname or it's short for something."

He laughed. "Now there's a story I actually like telling. My real name is Greg, and if you laugh about that, I'll go get that skeleton and put it in your bed while you sleep."

Carmen bit her lip to hold back the giggle that had almost gotten loose.

"Well, when I got my house in Megaton, the sheriff made me sign the deed. He looked over it, and then said, 'Your name is Grey Hart?' Apparently, my handwriting wasn't very good back then, so the last letter of Greg looked like a Y. I figured that sounded a lot cooler though, so I started calling myself that ever since."

"Wow. That's pretty funny."

"Yeah." A minute passes in silence before Grey asks, "Mind if I ask _you_ something?"

"What?"

"You asked about my parents, so tell me about yours."

The breath caught in Carmen's throat, but she guessed it was only fair. "My mom died right after I was born, so I don't know a lot about her. Dad was a doctor in Vault 101. He was nice to everyone, and always looked out for me. But when he left, everything went crazy."

"What do you mean?"

"The Vault's been closed off to the rest of the world for two hundred years. Or that's what I thought. From what Moriarty said in Megaton, he knew my dad from some time in the past when we lived outside. Anyway, when he left the Vault, the Overseer initiated a lockdown and sent the security officers after me because they thought I had helped him somehow. People got killed, Grey, and I might have too if I hadn't escaped."

"Sounds like you've had it almost as tough as most people out here. Why did your old man leave in the first place?"

"I don't know, but I plan on asking once I find him."

"You mean once _we_ find him. We're partners, remember?"

Carmen looked over, and she could swear she saw Grey's smile glowing back at her.

"Thanks, Grey."

"Don't mention it." He yawned as he added, "Just as long as he's not the type who kills handsome young men who so much as look at his daughter."

Carmen smiled and settled back into the bed. She had forgotten that she'd started the conversation to take her mind off of their surroundings, but it didn't matter anymore as her eyelids started to droop. She knew as long as Grey was around, she had nothing to worry about. For now, anyway.

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><p><strong>Awww. Isn't that cute? Time to ruin the mood with an action-packed next chapter. That's right, we're getting on with the plot.<strong>


	5. Ghouls, Mutants, and Dog

**Real title: Ghouls, Mutants, and Dog. Oh my. (Chapter titles can't have punctuation, so that wouldn't work.)**

**Strangely, even though so much happens in this chapter, this one actually has the least number of words out of all the chapters so far. But you don't care about stuff like that, on with the story!**

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><p>A bone-chilling shriek echoed through the metro tunnel and caused goosebumps to rise on Carmen's skin.<p>

"What was that?"

Grey paused as if waiting for another sample of the noise. "Ghoul," he finally explained.

"Ghoul? You mean like Gob?"

Her partner laughed. "No, nothing like our bitter-yet-lovable bartender back home. These are feral Ghouls. Their minds have degenerated to the point where they act entirely on instinct, attacking anything that enters their territory."

They froze as the topic of their conversation passed in front of them through an intersection. The Ghoul must have been severely lacking in senses because it walked right past without even turning their way.

"They also have a penchant for wearing little to no clothing," Grey added.

"Unpleasant experience?" Carmen asked, referencing the twitch under the man's eye as he said that last bit.

"Just be glad that one had half a shirt and a loincloth that used to be shorts. I've seen a lot of things, but nothing more scarring than a feral letting it all hang loo-" His hands flew up to his mouth and he ran to a nearby trash can to fill it for the first time in two hundred years.

After half an hour of adrenaline-pumping and eyebrow-raising encounters (Carmen learned that Ghoul skulls are fragile and prone to exploding with a single bullet), the Wastelanders reached an iron gate back to the surface.

"Alright. If those marks on the wall are right, we should be heading towards Galaxy News Radio," Grey said as he wrenched the gate open and they stepped outside.

"Right."

"So...Why are we going there again?"

The look on the red head's face told him he'd made a fatal mistake. "Grey! What's the entire reason I left the Vault?"

"Oh yeah, your dad. Moriarty said he was coming here, didn't he?"

"Yeah! I can't believe you forgot something so important. Sometimes, I don't even know why I tolerate your-"

Grey grabbed her by the waist, covered her mouth with his hand, and pulled her behind a nearby building. At first, she struggled and yelled at him through his fingers, but what happened next silenced her. A green-skinned humanoid creature at least two feet taller than her with a rifle stepped into view. The thing looked around and then kept walking.

Grey released his grip and Carmen released the breath she'd been holding.

"What new horror are we facing now?"

"Super Mutants. I've mentioned them before." Grey took the shotgun off of his back and checked the ammo. "Ugly as sin, about as intelligent as a Raider with Mentat withdrawl. They're not that bad when they're alone or in pairs, but any more than that, and they can be a pain."

They rounded a corner and stopped as four Super Mutants stared back at them.

"Aw, hell."

As the Mutants drew their weapons, Carmen tossed out a grenade and the two took cover behind some columns. Bullets bit into the concrete and bounced off of steel rods. Carmen looked over to see Grey nod towards a half-broken wall a few feet from her. After waiting for a suitable lull in the gunfire, she dashed out and behind the new cover while Grey drew attention by firing blindly around his column.

Carmen sidled up to the wall and moved to the other end. A Super Mutant with a sledgehammer attempting to flank the travelers in the same way met his end at the hands of Carmen's assault rifle. Carmen leaned out to get a look at the remaining opposition. All three Mutants were focused on where she had been and where Grey still was, but one had been injured by the grenade and sitting against a large piece of rubble with its only usable arm clumsily trying to handle a pistol far too small for it. Carmen finished it off with a three-round burst to the side of the head. The other Mutants were distracted by this new attack, and Grey took his chance to run out and score a point-blank shot. Most Super Mutants are naturally inclined to never run from a fight, but this one hesitated long enough for a laser from seemingly nowhere to bring it down.

"What the hell are you two doing here?" a female voice demanded.

Three figures in suits of armor, one with a helmet that covered their entire head, stepped out from an alley.

"Do you have any idea where you are right now?" the leader, a woman with blonde hair, asked.

"Yes we do," Grey replied. "That's kind of why we're here."

Carmen shot a look telling him to shut up as the armored woman said, "No one comes into the D.C. ruins unless they have a death wish, so I assume you're either suicidal or you want to get to the GNR building. I don't care why you want to go there, but as long as you stay out of our way, you can tag along. I'm Sentinel Lyons, by the way, leader of the Lyon's Pride of the Brotherhood of Steel. This is Paladin Vargas." She indicated the man next to her. "And the one in the helmet is Initiate Reddin."

"What's up?" Reddin said, voice solving the puzzle of her gender under the armor.

The Pride starting jogging back the way they had come, and Grey and Carmen moved to follow them.

"Grey, what do you know about the Brotherhood of Steel?" Carmen whispered.

"Not much. I know that they have tons of weapons and power armor, hate Super Mutants, and they oppose the Enclave. I can see the next question in your eyes, so I'll explain. The Enclave is the private army of President Eden. You've probably heard some of his messages on the radio."

"Yeah, I have. But why would they go against the president? He sounds like he wants to help the people out here."

"I don't know, and I don't care. As long as I have caps in my pocket and a bottle in my hand, everyone else can fight whatever war they want."

"Oh." For some reason, what he had said made Carmen feel somewhat disappointed.

A few minutes later, the group met up with another Brotherhood member crouching outside the entrance to a small courtyard with another lying dead beside him.

"What's the situation?" Sentinel Lyons asked him.

"Four more Super Mutants have been removed from this world, but the building ahead is swarming with them." His gaze fell on the Wastelanders at the back. "New recruits?"

"Just a couple of scavengers who want to get to GNR."

"Ah."

"Stay close, we're going straight through and attacking the main force from behind."

Carmen wondered what she meant by main force, but didn't have time to find out more before they were on the move again. The moment they set foot in the courtyard, Super Mutants appeared in the doorways and windows of the building on the other side. With numbers on their side, the human group quickly cut through. Halfway into the building, Lyons sent the Brotherhood member from earlier upstairs to "provide support." When they reached the exit, Carmen finally saw what all of this was about.

At least twenty Super Mutants were gathered in a plaza, opening fire on a large building protected by Brotherhood forces. This could only be Galaxy News Radio.

"It can never be easy, can it?" Grey muttered to himself.

With a signal from Sentinel Lyons, they flooded into the plaza and started gunning down Mutants. There was already so much gunfire, the fighters at the front didn't realize what was happening until it was too late. As the last Super Mutant fell, a cheer went up from the Brotherhood and Reddin started firing into the air. Paladin Vargas started to chastise her for wasting ammo, but everyone was silenced as the ground rumbled beneath them and a loud roar could be heard.

Several cries of "Behemoth" and "Get the Fat Man" could be heard and the Brotherhood of Steel started running around to new postions.

All except for Initiate Reddin, who was frozen where she stood.

Paladin Vargas tried to call out to her just before a bus that had been laying on its side exploded and a Super Mutant the size of a four-story building stepped out of the smoke. Without so much as a glance, it brought down one massive hand and swatted Reddin aside. She went flying and slammed into a pillar with an audible crunch.

"Where's that Fat Man?" Lyons shouted from behind a wall of sandbags.

Right before the Behemoth had made its entrance, Grey had seen a knight hefting a large weapon over his shoulder and crouching in the fountain in the plaza's center. When the bus exploded, a piece of debris impaled the knight and sent the weapon skittering across the ground. Grey now saw it laying a short distance away and went after it. The movement caught the Behemoth's eye, and it started trudging towards him.

"Grey!" Carmen screamed.

The man scooped up the Fat Man, took aim, and launched the miniature nuclear device it held. The nuke caught the hulking monstrosity in the chest and the blast swept Grey off his feet. The Behemoth fell with a resounding thud and Carmen ran out to where her partner lay facedown on the asphalt. Fearing the worst, she flipped him over and was surprised to see him smiling.

"I've gotta get me one of those things," he said.

With a sigh that turned into relieved laughter, she helped him to his feet as the Brotherhood let out another cheer.

Sentinel Lyons walked over to the pair. "Nice job. Maybe you two aren't just stupid scavengers after all."

"Thanks," Carmen responded. "I'm sorry about what happened to Reddin."

"She died well. In the Brotherhood of Steel, that's all that matters. I'll tell the others to let you inside."

Grey was a little unsteady on his feet, so Carmen put one of his arms around her shoulders and helped him up the steps and inside the GNR headquarters. They were escorted upstairs to where a dark-skinned man held up his arms in welcome.

"Hello. My name is Three Dog."

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><p><strong>See you next time!<strong>


	6. Three Dog's Request

**Sorry this has taken so long to update. I didn't have any idea on what to do with this chapter for a while, then I just got lazy and kept putting it off. In the end, I just started typing and made it up as I went. But you don't care about delays because the chapter is finally here. On with the story!**

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><p>The radio personality led his guests over to a small table so they could sit down while they talked.<p>

"I don't get many visitors out here," Three Dog said as they took their seats. "Except for the Brotherhood, of course, but they're not much for conversation. So tell me, why is it that you would drag yourself through all the crap out there to get here?"

Carmen explained, "We're looking for my dad, and I heard he might have come here at some point."

"Your dad? Oh, you must mean James. He did mention having a kid while he was here. I probably should have put two and two together when I found out about another Vault dweller making their way outside, but I guess I wasn't expecting a pretty young lady like yourself out here in the wastes."

"Stay on topic," Grey growled.

"Whoa! Smoke a peace pipe, man. I don't intend to step on any toes if you already called dibs."

Carmen shot an angry look at her partner. "It's not like that. Please, can you just tell me where Dad went?"

Three Dog shook his head. "Sorry, but I'm afraid not. You probably already know this, but out here in the Capital Wasteland, there's a rule. You gotta give in order to recieve."

"I knew it," Grey muttered.

The disk jockey stood up and walked a few paces across the room. "I started up Galaxy News Radio in order to give people hope and to tell them that there are others out here working to make things better. The only problem is no one outside of D.C. can hear the broadcasts after the Super Mutants shot down the relay dish on top of the Washington Monument."

"Yeah, it's a shame about your ratings, but what does that have to do with us?" Grey asked coldly.

"You're just a beam of sunshine, aren't you? I need you two to find a replacement dish and switch it out with the broken one."

"Why not get the Brotherhood of Steel to help you?" Carmen suggested.

"They've got their hands full as it is. Besides, they don't care about some radio show, they just need a base. The only reason I'm still here is because they don't have anything to gain by kicking me out. That's why I'm asking you to do it."

Grey scoffed. "Sorry to dash your hopes, but we're Wastelanders not electricians. How do you know we could even hook it up right?"

Three Dog turned to him with a smug grin. "You have a point there. However, I seem to recall one of my sources mentioning a cat with shades and a snazzy hat disarming the bomb in Megaton. If I'm not mistaken, that description fits you pretty well, tough guy. I'd think anyone that could do that should have no problem hooking up a satellite dish."

The younger man was silent for several seconds before finally hissing, "Fine. What do you need?"

"Geez, try not to sound so eager. Down the street from the monument is the Museum of Technology. Inside, you will find the Virgo II lunar lander. You need to take the dish from it and get it to the transmitter on the Washington Monument." A few more moments passed in silence as Three Dog stared at Grey with a raised eyebrow. "What? No cynical comeback?"

"I'm waiting to hear the details you're leaving out. There must be some other reason no one else has done it."

Three Dog sighed. "Ever the professional. The museum is pretty deep in Super Mutant turf, and that scares off most people right away. But if you use the metro tunnels, they'll take you straight to the front door."

"We'll get that dish fixed, Three Dog," Carmen said. "If it'll help me find my dad, I'll do anything."

"Then I wish you two the best of luck." As the Wastelanders walked back downstairs, he added, "And you might want to watch your friend. That mouth of his will probably get you in trouble one of these days."

Carmen was wondering about that. Grey usually acted pretty casual, maybe even relaxed, but he had regarded Three Dog almost with hostility. Then, after they had left the building, his good mood seemed to return and he acted like nothing had happened. She wanted to ask him about his change in behavior, but decided to wait until later.

Our heroes descended back into the Ghoul-infested tunnels and began their trek to the Museum of Technology. After almost an hour's worth of walking they found what they believed to be right exit.

"Finally," Carmen sighed as Grey wrenched the gate open. "I'm probably going to be hearing Ghoul howls in my nightmares for the rest of life."

"Look on the bright side. According to that map we saw earlier, the museum should be right up...here?"

At the top of the stairs, the travelers found themselves in the middle of a circle of apartment buildings.

"None of these look like any museum I've ever seen," Grey remarked.

"On the other hand, I can see the Washington Monument from here," Carmen said behind him.

"Where?"

He followed Carmen's finger to a gaping hole in the upper floors of one of the buildings. Through it, the top of the structure was clearly visible. On the other side of town.

"You've gotta be kidding!"

Drawn by Grey's shout of dismay, the head of a large creature with curved horns and fangs too big for its mouth poked out from around a corner. Grey swore and pulled Carmen back down the steps as the monster roared and started charging towards them. Grey slid the gate shut behind them and insisted that they keep running.

"What is that thing?" Carmen asked, hearing the animal slam against the barrier behind them.

"Deathclaw. Explain later. That gate's not nearly strong enough to keep it out."

A few minutes after deciding they had retreated a sufficient distance, Grey found another map and found the spot where they had taken a wrong turn. The wanderers backtracked and made their way down the correct tunnel. As they approached the gate that would take them outside the museum, they started hearing sounds from above them. Carmen and Grey slowly climbed the stairs and peeked out to check their surroundings. The road had been dug up into a network of trenches with several "islands" where Super Mutants stood with rocket launchers and miniguns. The sidewalk, however, was relatively clear.

Just as Three Dog had said, the metro station had opened up right in front of the museum's doors. Taking care not to call attention to themselves, the Wastelanders crept up the front steps and inside the building. Two Super Mutants patrolled the entrance hall, but they were quickly disposed of. Carmen searched the reception desk and found a guide map of the museum. Grey was excited when he saw a flyer advertising a weapons exhibit. That excitement was crushed however by the fact that the wing it was in had been destroyed.

Due to the crumbling state of the museum, the way to proceed was through a hallway made to look like a Vault showcasing all of the features the people inside would have access to.

"Feels just like home, doesn't it?" Grey said, pushing a button that started a recording about the self-cleaning kitchen appliances.

Carmen stared through a window into a recreation of a classroom imagining herself and her classmates sitting at the desks. "Yeah. I even feel the same depressing atmosphere and desire to leave."

"What do you mean by that?"

"I mean I never really felt attached to the place. Even though I'd lived there my entire life, it never felt like home. I was just another resident going through the paces: going to school, getting a job, eventually being forced to have kids in order to keep the population stable. Out here, I feel so much more like I belong.

"Didn't you have any friends?"

"One. The Overseer's daughter, Amata. After Dad left and the security officers were looking for me, she helped me escape. I asked her to come with me, but she refused. She had she had to stay behind and calm down her father. When the Vault door finally closed between us, I lost my best friend forever. But I didn't feel sad, just this incredible relief to be outside and away from everything I hated on the inside. Does that make me a bad person, Grey?"

Carmen felt a hand being placed on her shoulder. "No. I think it just shows you have what it takes to survive out here. You've got the Wastelander's need to be free. And in a world where death is an everyday thing, being able to move on after losing someone is a gift." The pressure left her shoulder as Grey continued down the hall. "Now come on, this is no place for idle chitchat."

Wondering when her partner became so philisophical, Carmen followed.

Their journey took them through several more exhibits, one of which took them down a winding staircase around a full-size rocket. In the next room, among several other aircraft, lay the Virgo II lunar lander. After killing the patrolling Mutants, Grey removed the satellite dish using tools swiped from a nearby supply closet.

"How are we going to get this to the monument safely?" Carmen asked as they hefted the heavy dish. "Should we use the tunnels again?"

"Nah, that would take too long. Besides, maybe we'll get lucky and none of the Super Muties will even see us."

The focus of our story now shifts down the street to the Washington Monument where two knights from the Brotherhood of Steel stand guard in front of a tall metal fence around the structure.

"The freaks sure are quiet today," one of the knights says to his companion. "What do you think is going on over there?"

"I don't know," the other knight replies. "Maybe they finally ran out of ammo. Or maybe they-"

Several explosions ring out and the knights duck behind walls of sandbags.

"Wait a minute." The first knight stands back up. "Those weren't fired at us, those explosions came from somewhere in their territory. Who are they shooting at?"

The other man removes his helmet and takes a pair of binoculars from a nearby table and describes what he sees.

"There seem to be two civilians, a man and a woman, running this way holding a... My god, I think Three Dog actually found someone to get that dish from the museum."

Grey's arms ached under the weight of the device over his head. "Status report," he called back to Carmen.

"I think we're out of range of the rocket launchers." A stream of bullets bit into the buildings to their left. "Not so much for the minigunners."

"Well, we're almost there. Just hang on until then."

A bullet grazed Carmen's leg, causing her to stumble for a second. She regained her balance, and soon, they were running through the gate the Brotherhood knights opened for them. Laser rifles joined the chorus of weapon fire as the Wastelanders loaded into an elevator to the top of the monument. Once there, they set the dish on top of the radio transmitter and Grey went to work hooking it up.

"For the record, I have no idea what I'm doing, so this may take a little while."

Carmen decided that now was the perfect time to discuss something that had been on her mind all day.

"Grey, can I ask you something?"

"You probably would anyway if I said no."

"It's just something I've been thinking about. What was that all about at Three Dog's place?"

"What was what all about?"

"You know, how you were so rude and irritable with him."

Grey chuckled. "Ah yes, I suppose that did seem out of character. To you, anyway. To tell the truth, that's how I am with most people. Can't explain why, people just annoy me for some reason."

"But what about Moira? Or the guy who guards her store? Or me, for that matter?"

"When you get almost all of your supplies from one person, it usually pays off in the long run to make nice with them. Discounts, special deals, stuff like that. As for her mercenary friend, he drops his guard once in a while when I'm around, meaning I can get away with pinching a bit of merchandise here and there. Just don't tell anyone I said that, I'd never be allowed in Craterside Supply again."

"So you only make friends when it suits you, and everyone else in the world can piss off?"

"Pretty much."

She should have known. From the moment they had met, Grey had made it quite clear that he looked out for himself and no one else. He was probably expecting to get some huge reward after they found her father. That was the only reason he had helped her out this long.

At least, that's what she would be thinking if Grey hadn't added, "That's why I can't figure out why I made an exception for you."

Carmen did a double-take at this. "What!"

"You were fresh out of the Vault, you didn't seem to have any fighting experience, you'd only drag me down. And yet, I still decided to help you out. I showed you the way to Megaton, paid out of my own pocket to get your new clothes, incurred the wrath of the Colin Moriarty, _and_ I let you sleep in my bed." He paused in his task and turned to the young woman. "I wouldn't do even one of those things for anyone else, so what makes you so special, Carmen?"

She was stunned. "I-I don't know."

"Neither do I. I guess my isolated existence has finally driven me mad."

"Just as long as you're sane enough to fix this transmitter."

"Well, a light came on when I flipped this switch, so that's always a good sign. Time to go visit Three Dog again."

He started making his way back to the elevator when Carmen stopped him.

"Grey, maybe I should do the talking this time."

He smiled. "Point taken."

* * *

><p><strong>A lot of character development in this chapter. I almost forgot this was supposed to be a comedy. Oh well, I'm sure we'll get more of that later.<strong>


	7. Rivet City

**I could explain why this story's taken so long to update, but I know you don't really care.**

* * *

><p>The Wastelanders' footsteps rang out on the iron bridge as they crossed over to the ancient aircraft carrier that was Rivet City, the place Three Dog said Carmen's father had gone after leaving Galaxy News Radio, to meet someone named Dr. Li.<p>

When the ship had first come into view and Grey saw how the bow was broken off, he fell to his knees dramatically and cried out in mock despair.

"No! We're too late! The ship is sinking! Just think of all the innocent people onboard. Oh, the humanity!"

"Very funny, Grey," Carmen said while clapping sarcastically. "I'm sure no one's made that joke before.

"Actually, that might be true." He got back to his feet and dusted off his pants. "Most people who come here would probably be too busy saying something like, 'Thank God,' or 'Safety at last,' or maybe 'Hey, I wonder if this place serves any good drinks."

Halfway across the bridge, three security guards strode forward and ordered them to stop.

"State your business in Rivet City," the guard in the middle said.

"Oh, nothing much," Grey answered. "The two of us were just hoping to pillage this fine vessel of all valuables before mercilessly slaughtering every man, woman, and child inside. At least, that's what your heavily-armed welcoming committee seems to imply."

Carmen jabbed him in the side with her elbow before saying, "We're here to see Dr. Li."

"And let me guess," the officer said. "She's not expecting you, but it's extremely important that you meet her as soon as possible. Sorry, but you're gonna have to give me a better reason than that."

"My father may have come here to see her, and we're hoping he's still here."

"Your father? Older guy, probably in his fifties? Yeah, he was here a few days ago, but he left. That's why I remember him, actually. Most people who come here don't usually leave again. If talking to Dr. Li gets you out of here quickly, I'll let you in. Just watch your step. If I hear that you two are causing trouble, I'll throw you off the flight deck."

The man turned around and went inside. Carmen looked over at Grey who just shrugged and continued walking.

"Don't mind Chief Harkness," one of the guards said as they passed. "He's good at what he does, but he has a hard time trusting people."

Grey laughed. "We have so much in common."

They followed after Harkness into a central staircase with signs providing directions to all areas of importance. Deciding that the most logical place to start was the Science Lab, the pair made their way through the narrow corridors to where another couple of guards stood in front a door.

"Anyone going into the lab must relinquish all weapons here. They will be logged to make sure you get everything back."

Carmen handed over her pistol, assault rifle, and a power fist she had taken from a dead mercenary the other day. Grey's disarming, on the other hand, took a good deal longer. The guard with a clipboard listed them aloud as he wrote.

"A .44 magnum revolver with scope, a highly customized shotgun, two combat knives, ten throwing knives, thirty-seven frag grenades, a sniper rifle, a sword with the name 'Jericho' scratched into the hilt..."

Carmen leaned over to her partner and whispered, "Don't you live next door to someone named Jericho?" To which, Grey responded with a simple "Shh."

"...Seven bottlecap mines, a pair of broken laser pistols, a rocket launcher, a small armory's worth of various ammuntion."

"And a partridge in a pear tree." Grey added. "To be fair, I meant to sell most of those."

After being frisked on the small chance that he could be carrying anything else, the Wastelanders were cleared to proceed. As the door closed behind them, Carmen turned to Grey.

"Where in the world were you keeping all of that stuff?"

"I honestly have no idea. I'm even more clueless as to how I'm gonna put it all back."

The lab had apparently been set up inside the engine room. Large turbines and generators took up most of the floor space, and pipes ran up the walls and along the ceiling. The remainder of the room contained storage lockers and tables covered in equipment. Strangely enough, some of the tables also held fruits and vegetables. Most likely the subject of the lab's current research.

One of the scientists was occupied with an elderly man in a suit, so Carmen and Grey turned their attention to the woman writing on a clipboard nearby.

"Are you Dr. Li?" Carmen asked.

"How many times do I have to tell you people not to bother me?" the woman said angrily before turning around. Her eyes widened when she saw who was standing there. "You're...You're James's daughter, aren't you? You look just like him."

"Is that a compliment or an insult?" Grey whispered.

Carmen ignored the joke. "How do you and my father know each other?" she asked.

This seemed to confuse the doctor. "You don't know? I assumed he sent you here. For that matter, aren't you supposed to be back in the Vault?"

"I left soon after he did, and we've been trying to find him ever since."

"From what James told me, that's the complete opposite of what he wanted. Anyway, to answer your question, your parents and I worked together years ago on Project Purity."

"Project Purity," Grey repeated. "What's that?"

"An effort to bring clean water to the wasteland. We wanted to purge all of the radiation out of the Tidal Basin and distribute it among the people."

"That doesn't sound too hard. There are plenty of water purifiers out there already."

"You're right, in theory anyway. All of our small-scale experiments worked perfectly, but any time we went full-size...it was just too much. I don't know why. Maybe we lacked the proper equipment or we just needed more time. The last straw for James was when your mother died right after giving birth to you. He decided that keeping you safe was the most important thing and left us. After that, the Brotherhood decided we weren't worth the trouble of protecting anymore, and we were forced to abandon the facility. That's why I was surprised when he returned with the intention of restarting Project Purity."

"Does that mean you know where he is?" Carmen asked.

"The last I knew, he was going back to the old lab. But listen to me, don't go. It isn't safe, and there's nothing there worth salvaging."

"But-" Carmen started before Grey held up a hand and stepped forward.

"That's a very interesting story, Doc, but I didn't walk halfway across the wasteland, fight through subway tunnels crawling with Ferals, get chased by a Deathclaw, outshoot an army of Super Mutants, and sacrifice a hat just to stop now."

Dr. Li turned to Carmen. "'Sacrifice a hat?'"

"Don't ask," she replied.

"So with all due respect," Grey continued. "You'd better tell us where we have to go before I'm forced to take my frustration out on something expensive."

The woman sighed. "If you're really that determined, I'll tell you. The lab is in the Jefferson Memorial to the northwest. Just follow the river. I doubt James is still there, but you're welcome to look."

Carmen thanked her and led the way back out. After reclaiming their weapons, Grey suggested they spend the night in Rivet City and head out for the lab in the morning. His partner reluctantly agreed.

"Great." Grey clapped his hands together. "But first, we should see if this tub has anywhere to grab a bite to eat."

At the opposite end of the ship from the Science Lab was a cargo hold that had been repurposed into a large marketplace. Two rows of stalls selling everything from guns to clothing spanned the middle of the room. At the end of one of these rows was a small diner called Gary's Galley. The two Wastelanders sat down at the counter and looked over the chalkboard that constituted a menu.

"I just can't seem to get used to this wasteland food," Carmen said. "What do you think I should get?"

Grey leaned forward and tapped his chin as he thought. "Personally, I love a good Brahmin steak, but I might change it up and get some- Ooh, Mirelurk cakes! We don't get too many of those in Megaton."

They placed their orders, and as the food was being cooked, a shout came up from behind.

"It's you!" Carmen and Grey turned around to see a young man, maybe a few couple younger than themselves, with dirty brown hair wearing a tattered red shirt and jeans. And he was pointing at Grey with eyes filled with rage. "You were with that caravan that passed through my hometown five years ago."

"I think you have me confused with someone else." Grey tried to turn back around, but what the newcomer said next froze him in place.

"You're Greg Hart. You're the one who killed my brother."

* * *

><p><strong>Wow. Coming back after four months just to end on a cliffhanger? What a jerk.<strong>


	8. Harsh Realities

Alone in the room they had rented for the night, Grey sat down on the bed and Carmen pulled up a chair in front of him to discuss the young man they had met earlier.

"Who was that guy, Grey?" Carmen asked. "And what did he mean when he said you killed his brother?"

"Exactly what it sounded like," Grey answered. He sighed and rested his chin on entwined fingers. "But, knowing you, you'll want the whole story. His name is Kyle Lofton, and five years ago, my parents's caravan passed through his hometown. Heh, 'hometown.' It was more like a village, less than a dozen people actually living there. Place didn't even have a name. But the folks were nice enough, so we stuck around for a while."

"That is, until a little...incident involving Kyle's older brother, Darren. Classic wasteland story: the boys parents were killed by Raiders, and Darren took it upon himself to raise his baby brother. Somewhere along the way, though, Darren got hooked on chems and just spent most of his days indoors drugging himself into a stupor while Kyle tried to provide for both of them. I only really saw him outside once or twice whenever he needed to restock. One night, after a little romantic stroll with a local girl, I was heading back to my family's tent when I noticed someone standing at the top of a hill overlooking the settlement. I was about to raise an alarm when I realized it was Darren. He was just standing there, staring at the houses and mumbling to himself. Just to be safe, I circled around the hill and climbed up behind him. When I reached the top, he turned around. That's when I saw the knife."

"Somehow, he had gotten his hands on a whole bunch of Psycho and it had driven him...well, psycho. What was left of his brain had convinced him that the rest of the townspeople were Slavers. Or demons. I don't know, he called them something different every two seconds like even he didn't know what he was seeing. But no matter who or what he thought the people were, he was sure of one thing: they were there for Kyle. So, to protect his brother, he was about to murder everyone who wasn't Kyle in their sleep."

"Why didn't he attack you?" Carmen interrupted. "Wouldn't he have thought you were one of the demons that were after Kyle?"

"That's easy. Darren thought I was his brother. That's probably why he looked so surprised when I drew my pistol and told him not to do what he was planning. Then, he started raving about how the monsters had brainwashed me and came at me with the knife. My parents had been teaching me how to shoot since I was eight years old, and he was a malnourished junkie who could barely walk in a straight line. I think you can see where this is going."

"Nobody was really affected by his death. Never really contributed to society, you know? So, when I explained what had happened, they understood that what I did may not have necessarily been right, but it was for the best. Everyone except Kyle, that is. All he saw was the man who'd gunned down the only family he had in cold blood, and nothing anyone said would make him think otherwise. He looked me straight in the eye and swore he'd get revenge someday. The caravan left that morning, and a few years later, I set off on my own and found myself in Megaton. And now, here we are.

Carmen was silent for a few seconds as she processed everything she had just heard. "So, are you really going to do what he asked?" she finally said.

Their minds flashed back an hour to the meeting at the diner.

"Meet me tomorrow morning on the flight deck," Kyle had said. "Then, I'll pay you back for what you did to Darry."

Grey laughed. "I'm not sure 'asked' is the right word for it. But even so, I don't really have much of a choice. He's already spent almost a third of his life chasing me, and I don't think he's in any mood to stop now. Besides, the 'good people' of Rivet City are probably already placing bets. Who am I to disappoint them?"

Carmen shifted uncomfortably. "Even so, isn't there some way you can resolve this peacefully? Or at least nonlethally?"

"You need to understand something, Carmen. Did you see a jail anywhere while we were walking around out there? Or back in Megaton? No. That's because, out here, every offense is punishable by death. So forgive me for assuming that the vengeance-fueled psychopath isn't feeling particularly forgiving."

"Oh." Carmen's gaze fell away.

Grey sighed as he saw how clearly worried she was. "If it means so much to you, I'll see what I can do," he said. "But I'm not making any promises."

His partner looked back up and smiled. "Thanks, Grey."

"Yeah, yeah." Grey slipped off his boots and jacket before settling into the bed. "You better not hog the blanket."

In spite of herself, Carmen chuckled as she got in beside him.

* * *

><p>"I'm surprised you actually showed up," Kyle said as he arrived the next morning. "Seeing how you and your caravan just ran away after what you did, and you've obviously been hiding from me all these years."<p>

The ship's flight deck still held plenty of aircraft, but they had long been stripped of any useful parts. A baseball diamond had been set up towards the stern which had initially made Carmen wonder how many balls had been lost in the water.

The two combatants stood facing each other in the center of the diamond while Carmen and the rest of the Rivet City populace looked down on them from a balcony on the bridge tower.

"Nothing to say, Greg?" he continued. "Not gonna beg for mercy? Works for me. I didn't plan on showing any in the first place."

Ever since Grey had arrived half an hour before, he hadn't moved an inch from where he stood or said a single word. If it weren't for the sunglasses hiding his eyes, Carmen would swear he hadn't blinked either.

Chief Harkness walked over with two revolvers and handed one to each duelist as he explained the rules. "The two of you will be facing opposite directions. When I say 'Go,' you'll turn around and fire. Each of you has exactly one bullet, and you won't be getting any more if you miss. So, on the off-chance that you're both terrible shots, you can either call it a draw or beat each other to death with them, I don't care which. Also, if one of you dies and the other doesn't feel like disposing of the body themselves, I'll have one of my men toss it over the side. Any questions? I didn't think so."

Harkness walked away while Kyle and Grey turned away from each other.

"One shot, huh?" Grey said to himself.

Without warning, the boom of a gunshot rang out, causing everyone in the crowd to jump and Kyle to throw himself to the ground. After a second, he stood back up to see Grey pointing his gun out towards the water.

"What the hell did you just do?" he demanded.

Grey loosened his grip and let the gun fall to the deck. "Whoops. Looks like I just missed with my only shot. Guess I lose. Congrats, Kyle, you've finally beaten me. Enjoy the rest of your day."

With that, the Wastelander began strolling towards the tower, leaving Kyle stunned and speechless. Then, the younger man's free hand clenched into a fist and he spun around, tackling Grey and sending them both crashing into the remains of a motorcycle someone had been disassembling.

"You think you can just run away again!" Kyle's face was practically glowing with hatred as he crouched over Grey. "You throw the duel, and everything's okay, is that it? Sorry, but I've spent too much of my life on this just to let you leave so easily."

"Then why didn't you just shoot me and get it over with?" Grey asked defiantly.

"And sink to your level? Mercilessly gunning down someone who didn't even have a chance of fighting back?" The lenses of Grey's shades caught the tears of rage that flowed from Kyle's eyes. "I won't give you the honor of dying by a coward's trick. So fight back just like Darry couldn't! Come on, hit me! HIT ME!"

Grey spent several seconds staring up at the boy who had thrown his life away in the pursuit of a twisted version of what he believed to be justice before quietly replying.

"Fine."

His fingers wrapped around a cold metal handle, and he swung the wrench as hard as he could into the side of Kyle's head, an act that caused the spectators to roar with excitement as they finally got to witness the action they had come to see.

Roaring in pain and with his vision blurred, Kyle tried to find a target for his pistol. In one swift motion; Grey jumped to his feet, caught the hand between his and bent it back with a disturbingly-loud snap, snatched the gun out of limp fingers, and tucked it inside his jacket. He then proceeded to rain down a series of punches and kicks that seemed to connect with every inch of Kyle's body.

At first, this display of fighting prowess caused the crowd to cheer even louder. But as the beating went on, the voices died out in place of quiet awe. Or horror.

Each blow progressively brought the fighters, or rather the fighter and his victim, ever closer to the edge of the ship. Finally, Grey decided it was time to end it. A lightning-fast jab to the throat caused Kyle to gag and his hands to fly to his neck, leaving him open to a brutal punch to the stomach. Kyle doubled over only for his forehead to slam into Grey's knee. The recoil sent the young man stumbling backwards until his foot failed to find solid ground. Right before he careened off the side, Grey reached out and caught him by the shirt.

"What now?" Kyle choked out as one of his eyes began swelling shut and blood dripped out of his nose. "Some speech about how much I still have to live for and how I should turn my life around?"

"No." The other man said coldly. "I just want to be sure."

And with that, Grey pulled the revolver from his jacket and fired its single bullet right between Kyle's eyes. He released his hold and watched as the lifeless body crashed into the irradiated river far below.

The citizens of Rivet City stood speechless for a moment before slowly making their way back inside the ship, all previous wagers forgotten.

Carmen hurried downstairs and reached the door just as her partner stepped through it.

"Come on," he said. "We've got a lab to get to."

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><p><strong>A decidedly darker chapter than we've seen so far. You may think this was out-of-character for the easygoing, fun-loving Grey, but you have to remember the kind of world he lives in.<strong>


End file.
